A Matter of Days

It is only a matter of a few days before the first 

windmill will be completely up on Wolfe Island.  

Yesterday, I observed one third of the first turbine 

between Third and Fourth Line Roads on Baseline. 

Today another section was added. Unless it is 

smote by a higher power or hit by lightning, it looks 

like it's finally happening. I feel helpless that I can't 

do anything about it, and I feel angry that it things are

going as planned. Well, more or less anyway.

The Island is at the mercy of a bunch of overpaid 

wind experts. They have monitored the winds in test 

zones,they have carefully calculated the placement of 

each and every turbine so that it works at its maximum

potential (okay, maybe just a couple of them), and they

have hired the best experts in the field of wind energy.

Here I could make a bunch of jokes and comments

about wind experts, but I won't. You have to supply your own.

So. Wind experts. Experts on wind. They know wind.  

They get paid big bucks--big government bucks--to harness

the wind. So I wish one of them would tell me, who forgot

to factor in the velocity of the wind on the river. That

very same river that Gordon Lightfoot sings about in

"The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald"! The barge

on which the wind experts are bringing their trucks,

their cranes, their apprentice wind experts, cannot

cross the water to the Island when the winds exceed

20 kilometres per hour! Actually, they have modified

this so that it the barge may actually take on 25kph. The

forecast for tomorrow has winds gusting at 55 kph!

This little bit of irony pleases me. Obviously, ignoring

the power of the wind on the water is an expensive 

mistake on their part, and that pleases me too. And

they don't realize that November brings gales that can

make even the saltiest sailor lose his breakfast. And

lunch for that matter. But what displeases me and the

other people who ride the ferry each day twice a day

to get back and forth to work is that when the winds are

too much for the wimpy barge, the trucks, transports and

traffic from the turbine project take the ferry.

It concerns me that such monstrous vehicles will 

hasten the normal wear and tear on the Wolfe Islander,

and create a potentially dangerous situation for those

who rely on the ferry for their livelihood.

THE OIL SPILL

So, in the endeavor to green up the world, on October 1, 2008, one of the workers on the turbine project inadvertently polluted the St. Lawrence River a little more than it was before.  The worker, now an ex-worker, a scapegoat no doubt, transferred an amount of diesel oil from one barge to another, except he sort of poured it directly into the water instead of into the other boat.  I heard of this on my way home, and immediately went out and took pictures before the goons caught on and blocked my way.  I was met by a delightful young man named  Ben, an engineer hired, no doubt, for his abilities to schmooze and downplay serious environmental mistakes.  Fortunately, I have become immune to the kind of charm these people exude.  He explained it was just a small spill--nothing to be concerned about, and it had probably already evaporated into the air. (The AIR, Ben, that's the stuff we breathe..) He said it was harmless to wildlife and other living things, and as he spoke, I played the dumb girl, a part I have perfected over the years, and snapped the pictures included here.

Later that evening, there was a meeting with representatives from four government agencies and the some mid-level management types from the windmill project.  We were told that only 1,500 liters were spilled into the water.  I figure that if they admit to 1,500, it was probably closer to 3,000 liters. And to appease the residents of Hell Island, sorry..Wolfe Island, they told us they got rid of the fellow that made the 'mistake'.  Let's hope they only fired him and he's not in the bottom of one of the windmill holes!

Should you be strolling along the St. Lawrence River in the vicinity of Wolfe Island and come across some dead things, like fish, ducks, geese, otters, and whatever, feel free to call Steve from the Ministry of the Environment.  His work number is 1-416-739-5908, and his cell is 1-416-579-5476.

Imagine This Every Day

No matter how much I speak about the horrors of the construction of the turbines, it still remains true that a picture is worth 1,000 words.  So if that's the case, a video must be worth millions.  This video was made by a friend of mine who is also a filmmaker.  She and her husband are at Ground Zero of the turbine construction.  Despite being two of the healthiest people I know, they are experiencing serious health problems which can only be attributed to aggregate dust, diesel fumes, and whatever other byproducts of so-called "green energy" are polluting the air.

Here is the link to the Youtube video:    

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-via0ec-AY

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